She: Understanding Feminine Psychology

I may very well be developing a brain crush on Robert A. Johnson or, rather, am becoming enamored with his retelling of old legends and myths, and of the psychological and esoteric meanings his writings give.This is the third book of his I've read (highly recommend HE and ECSTASY) and was pleased to see he also referenced one of my favorite books in the footnotes (Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis, a myth about Psyche retold). I give SHE five stars overall. While it didn't have as inspiring of an ending as HE (about Parsifal), I think this may be more relatable to those operating more in their feminine and also those who are more spiritual (& more prone to depression like Nietzsche, Goddard & Blake who all wished to be free of this realm).I also noticed a lot of what he wrote about Aphrodite/the feminine as a great sea is supported by the Kabbalah and thought it interesting that he depicted stillness as representing the divine feminine (I agree but some teach stillness as masculine). I really liked the comparisons/parallels to Parsifal (so read HE first), and loved all the explanations of symbolism in Psyche. He talked about Pan but just mentioned Echo, so I would love to read his thoughts on Echo (& Narcissus). I also saw a lot of fascinating little gems that stuck out to me that I'll be quoting in my own writing especially his explanations of the love of the gods, being touched by the gods, encountering another's divinity, etc.The book seemed to end on a sad sigh, leaving it up to the reader to decide if their life is a drama/ultimate love story or tragedy.

I was drawn to this book after reading "He". Both books are profound and not only help you understand the mysteries of women, but also teach you how 2,500 year-old myths are as relevant now as they were back then.This book is easy to read, easy to understand and I plan to read the series to my 10 year old son.If you are a man, a woman, struggle as a couple, want to improve your relationship or be in one, I give this book a spectacular rating. It should be required reading in schools.

"She" is a collection of lectures given by Johnson (first published in 1976 and reviewed in 1989) revolving about the analysis of the Myth of Eros and Psyche (aka Amor and Psyche). The book is very enjoyable to read. Even if you are not interested in Depth Psychology or Jungian Psychology, you will enjoy the reading, and the way Johnson de-constructs a myth and gives it psychological meaning. It is like seeing an orange being squeezed through a macro lenses. Fascinating."She" is not only an exploration of the female psyche, but also an approach to the feminine in all of us. It is also a tale of exploration of inner expansion and a dive into the unconscious. I could relate to many of the things Johnson unveils. Johnson says that much of the turmoil of modern women is the result of the collision between her inner Aphrodite nature and her inner Psyche nature. I couldn't agree more.There are two distinct parts in the book and the myth, the one before Psyche's tasks and the one after these start. Johnson says of the second that it is the part that shows more clearly the patterns of development of the feminine principle. However, although I could relate to many of the things he mentions there, I thought that some of the comments could also apply to the male psyche or to humans in general.Despite the book being so old, is still fresh. Johnson's reflection on the validity of mythology for the modern world is wonderful, as myths contains a distilled imprint of our psychological structure, which is universal and timeless. Johnson does even more, he links myth and dreamwork in a two-path way, He shows, for example, how the myth herewith analysed replicates itself in an apparently unrelated dream of a female patient of his. Most importantly, he points out that some dreams have a mythological structure which makes them perfect to delve into our inner self and psyche.A WHINEI have to congratulate HarperCollins e-books for ripping-off customers. Being charged 11+ bucks for 99 pages of an old book on Kindle sucks.

took a bit to get here but it was quality and exactly like the cover art advertised

I choose a five rating because Robert A. Johnson's books on she is one of the most profound books I have ever read on the female psyche. How many of us truly believe in mythology? Mythology is neither true or untrue. However, mythology is a rich source of psychological insights that can help we humans to understand the complexity of why we are prone to commit acts that are sometimes good, bad ugly or infamous. Mythology can help us understand the dual components of our being which consist of a myth and a shadow. The shadow is the dark side of our human nature that will allow us to commit heinous actions/crimes. By learning how to bridge the gap between our light and dark side of our being will allow us to evolve to a higher level of self understanding and human understanding. From my perspective in spirituality there is no duality. We must transcend the polarities of opposites in our nature to get a better understanding of God/Divine Providence. There is no duality in spirituality. The best example I can give to illustrate transcending the polarity of opposites and becoming one is with an automobile battery. The battery consist of a negative post and a positive post. When we turn the ignition of an automobile the engine starts. It take negative and positive energy to operate an automobile. We humans are spiritual beings and there no escaping this fact of life. I highly recommend the book to the Theologians and the ranking file lay person. In addition I will also recommend Robert A. Johnson'sbook entitled HE. We will never escape life's basic truths until we accept and understand them. Learning the nature of oneself can be a life long journey. However, with a map of truth or mythology we can arrive at our highest state of evolution.